Alan White

11 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I’d love to look through a massive dob but have very little, if any, interest in owning one. For me visual astronomy is about relaxation and de-stressing, I don’t think works so well with any DIY element, difficult handling of extremely large scopes or even having to observe on a ladder. 
Conditions play a part too, perhaps if I lived Nevada or similar I’d be more inclined to want a big dob.

This mirrors my own thoughts

3 hours ago, tomato said:

Love the rack and pinion dome rotator, I have one just like it!

It was a beast of a dome, but that rack and pinion worked a treat.

6 hours ago, RobertI said:

Superb Alan, what an interesting and varied day. I’ll keep an eye out for the next one as it’s just up the road from me. What did you think of the views through the venerable refractor? 

It was very good for its age and type, 250 mm but in old money and I think about f15, doublet.
But I felt a modern scope of smaller size may outperform it.

I have looked through an 8” modern high spec scope and that although smaller was optically better, but the Tomline had something special and that was its age, mounting and location.

Well worth a trip sometime.

Saturday 18th May, I attended my second BAA meeting.
Held in central Ipswich, Suffolk, a super venue in itself.

The day was co-hosted by BAA and Orwell Astronomical Society, more about them later.

The day made me nervous as days like this do, meeting new people and talks on something that interests me, but I have a limited knowledge of, but as always I need not have worried as everyone was most friendly and welcoming.

The subjects covered

10:10 – 10:40   Paul Whiting, “The Aurora, Past and Present”

10:40 – 11:40    Jack Martin, “The Bicentenary of William Huggins”

13:20 – 14:20    Andy Gibbs, “One hundred and fifty years of astronomy at Orwell Park”

14:20 – 15:20    Bill Barton, “Basil Brown’s Astronomical Achievements”

15:50 – 16:50    Dr. George Seabroke, “A girl’s death, Rugby, rugby and astronomy: dating a Dollond telescope.”

All the talks were super and held my interest, I do have to declare that I know Jack Martin through my club CPAC and had heard some of his talk previously. 
But the big reason for my trip was the talk on Basil Brown and his Astronomy.

I first became aware of Basil from his part in the finding of the Sutton Hoo ship and treasures, and by watching the Netflix film ‘The Dig’ and in watching this his Astronomical side was partly revealed, so I looked into him further.

The talk was marvellous and led to me seeing a copy of Basils book from the 1930’s but a 1960’s reprint, they are quite limited in numbers around.
I was fortunate in the lunch break to walk about central Ipswich with Bill, the speaker and discus Basil and Ipswich history.

My focus on one talk is not implying the others were not of interest, quite the opposite.

The meeting ended at 5 but with a later trip to the OAS observatory site, a stunning instrument of the Victorian era, in a dedicated tower observatory, now part of a private school.

The evening was a thorough pleasure and we got to not only look at it all, but to look through it at The Moon and double stars, sadly this time of year restricted darkness and of course a clear sky.

To end this here are some dreadful phone pictures.

And one last thing, my BAA membership was worth it for just this day alone.

I must add that during the evening, the OAS were superb hosts and made everyone feel very much part of the family, thank you.

https://oasi.org.uk/ 

The one thing that tickled my sense of humour was when Dr George Seabrooke was sat at the scope observing, how often do professional Astronomers observe through a telescope?

And a better image from the OAS website

Nice progress
I do like the inventiveness of the drill fix 👍👍

OCD is fine with me, sometimes things have to be right.

Rob, somehow I feel that your wife had a valid reason to laugh at your mishap.

Glad you have resolved your issue now though.

That is a super looking set up Nigella, clearly you don’t work in IT with that level of neatness to the cabling.

IT at work on Weds did some mods to the desk cabling and it looked like it was done by a 5 year old! Mind you most of them do look quite young 😉

Welcome to SGL, we are a friendly lot, but please do remember we’re in the UK, so some meanings may differ.

Just now, Peter Drew said:

I have fixed "sheds"  that house 30", 20" and 17" Dobsonians plus one for a 50x 300mm binoscope and one under construction for a 150mm binoscope.  They are deployed only during suitable weather conditions.  Two run off housings ran off in gales!    🙂 

Thanks Peter, So to clarify the above,
Do the scopes run out of the sheds rather than the sheds move?

A general chat has been taking place about future retirement plans, not for a while yet, but best plan ahead, 
this is as per my dome line of questioning too in another thread, but looking at cost and aesthetics' as well.

I will likely move and down size, enabling me to have an observatory, if the new location allows (note it most certainly will!).
So my ponder is does a push away shed observatory become difficult with age and health?
I presently observe on a part open pad, it has fences on two sides, but if I made my Astro shed mobile, I could leave the kit set up.
Easier to observe and only a slid back of the shed... or is that too optimistic.

I do have an ongoing back issue at present, but hope to resolve that over the next 12-18 months.

So the above ponder has been verbalised and is now here on SGL, what do you fine folks know about this please?

As a second line of questioning.
How easy is it to move house when you have a dome to move with you?
Just asking as this will be a conversation piece soon.
 

4 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Well, I think you know the answer to that dilemma, Alan 

🤣

Oh indeed I do, a bigger observatory of course 😉
But I may just have to slum it with a 5" refractor on cost grounds of course... hmmph hmmph 😉😉

25 minutes ago, tomato said:

A big refractor or newt with its corresponding CW bar will inevitably take up more room.

That is one of my concerns, the 4" refractors should be ok, but a 10" Newtonian may prove a challenge.
Clearly reason enough for grounds for a 5" refractor at least I think 😉

14 hours ago, crush said:

So it is relative to what you get! 🤣

Oh very much so, a small filter maybe 1 days worth, an eyepiece a week, but a scope and parts welllll................

Yep, we were lucky.
The bonus was the amazing show I could see so far South.

That makes what was an amazing event for so many,
well even more amazing in a single image.

Thank you for the effort put in to produce such a fine image and your sharing of the same.
 

I have to say a double WOW....
Peter the set up and scale at Todmorden is far larger than I had ever envisaged, truly wonderful.
Tomato the double set up looks stunning, shame its for the dark arts 😉 

The 2.2 with the double 150, makes me ponder how much room a visual user would have to observe,
not that a double 150mm set up is ever likely in my case.

This question I posed is actually throwing more queries into the mix than I had considered.

4 hours ago, bosun21 said:

Interested to hear how you get on with it. I am thinking of getting a black one for night observing.

I already have the black one for night and its super, if you look in the reviews section Richard Hather reviewed one some time ago.
Highly recommend it to keep stray light from the peripheral vision.

Postie Pete has just visited with a little purchase from @FLO.

Having had days of sun and solar observing, I burnt my head or boiled under my night monks hood.

So another one but white this time.

R-Sky are now made in USA and not Russia, I am sure because of certain 'Special Operations'.

I will report back in due course, 

parcel arrived with the promised clouds.

The Sky Gods just made my day, the cloud cleared and the Sun was just caught before it goes behind the wood next to me.
Indeed Goodbye AR3664, still hanging onto the limb.
What's rolling round the other side and into view is not shabby either.

Ended a grim day with a literal ray of sunshine.

8 hours ago, LuckieEddie said:

I know you're a (almost exclusively?) visual observer, are you going to be happy with the more enclosed sky view that a dome will give as opposed to a wide open vista? Especially if you're in a nice location

Ed, thank you for your comments and your correct in many of the assumptions. 
I am mindful of the above point more than any other, but not sure what two more walls will add to my existing set up.
Add a roof and its instant (nearly) observing of course.

 

A general chat has been taking place about future retirement plans, not for a while yet, but best plan ahead.

I will likely move and down size, enabling me to have an observatory, if the new location allows (note it most certainly will!).
So my ponder is does a dome give good wind protection?
I presently observe on a part open pad, it has fences on two sides, but the wind jiggles my scopes if strong enough.

So the above ponder has been verbalised and  now here on SGL, what do you fine folks know about this please?
 

I was unsure where on earth to post this question and some kind Mod has moved this to DIY Observatories, Thank You. 👍

Nice job with the fettling and nicer plastered and painted.
I always enjoy folks updates as additions and tweaks take place.
Enjoy using it now.

Welcome back to SGL and Astronomy.